Ines Ridane’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

We recently had the chance to connect with Ines Ridane and have shared our conversation below.

Ines, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Yes ! So long story short, I started teaching at eighty-eight studio in North Hollywood in the beginning of August. I don’t have a community yet here like I do back home. Every week since I started, I had maybe 2 or 3 students, which I’m very grateful for. Some friends came to support when they could but I have new faces as well. Anyway haha, Last Monday, I had 7 students !! Isn’t it crazy ?! People who don’t know me and still decided to come dance with me. I’m super proud and grateful. I know for some it can sound like nothing crazy, but for me it’s everything! I love teaching and sharing. After the class, I texted the group that I have with my sisters and mom to let them know!
To be honest, I was afraid of teaching in the US, to start everything over, but I have to say that I’m super excited by the process. I’m excited to build something here.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a 33 woman who tries to navigate through the craziness of life hahah.
Joke aside, I’m originally from Belgium, moved out here with an O-1 visa to pursue the dream that I have since I’m a kid. It has been a long process but I’m super proud of it. Moving in a country with a whole different culture is super scary, not gonna lie. I think the most difficult part is being far from my family and close friends. But I don’t wanna have any regrets and I wanna do this a 100%.
I love dance, it brings me joy like nothing else, ok maybe food haha!

My dance brand is called hips don’t lie because back home people were laughing about me, calling me Shakira, telling me that my hips were not lying. So I made it a thing.
I think that my dance is unique and different because I mix my Moroccan roots with dancehall and hiphop. At first, I was not happy about that difference, always thought that I wasn’t fitting and that it was an issue. Now that I grew up mentally and spiritually, I understand that being different is not a weakness. It’s my superpower and I love to be the black sheep. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Besides my family ? Amari Marshall. I will always always always remember the first thing she told me the first time that we talked. It was at the dance camp ” TakeFlight ” in Dublin. She told me ” you can be that girl, the hot girl summer, the confident and bold one but you have to get out of your head and believe in yourself.” At that time, I was in a very difficult and painful period of my life. Her words stayed in my mind but I was still processing. A few months later, I did her Blackescape camp in Puerto Rico and it definitely healed something in me. She pushed me by giving me the spotlight in her piece. I was stressed and not confident at all, I wanted to apologize for having that spot hahah, but I had to trust her vision, and her vision definitely unlocked mine. She thought me that I can unapologetic be myself. If people are bothered by it, it’s not a me problem.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Ohhhh yesss ! It happens more than we think. I think it’s a part of us as creative. We’ll always have moments like that, when everything looks impossible, when you’re tired mentally.
In those moments, what truly helps me, it’s my family and best friends. They remind me all the time that it’s not over, that the dream has been given for a reason and that it’s ok to rest and take a small break to reset.
I’ve learned how to deal with those feelings. It’s ok to feel that way and to be down. Still learning to be honest haha but at the end of the day, show must go on !! It’s better to stop and come back stronger than pushing and feeling nothing.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
I believe that there are different versions of us living at the same time but somewhere else. I believe that if we feel connected to certain people before knowing them well, it’s because we met in an other lifetime or maybe we are close in an other dimension. I don’t know, I often have those type of thoughts haha I truly believe that we are not alone and that everything is connected.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I truly believe that I’m doing what I was born to do. I come from a culture where it might be hard for a woman to embrace her femininity the way I do it. We all have different ways, and I know that when we choose mine, we face a lot of judgement. I had to ignore a lot of things coming from my mom’s family, but also from strangers. It did hurt me but never made me stop, that’s the reason why I know I’m aligned and do what I’m supposed to do.

I hope I’ll inspire women like me on my journey, to follow their dreams even if, at first, it seems impossible.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @inesridane

Image Credits
Alex Muhong